Spanish Grammar Lesson and the Verbs Ser and Estar
Title:
Spanish Grammar Lesson and the Verbs "Ser" and "Estar"
Word Count:
1096
Summary:
If you want to know how to speak Spanish it is
important that you understand this topicof Spa
Keywords:
Learning Spanish Like Crazy
Article Body:
The Uses of Ser and Estar
If you want to know how to speak Spanish it is
Ser
important that you understand this topicof Spa
(to be)
Before we explain the different uses for ser, let’s review the conjugations for ser in the pre
Present Tense:
Yo soy (I am)
nosotros somos (we are)
tú eres (you are)
ellos son (they are)
él es (he is)
ellas son (they are)
ella es (she is)
ustedes son (they are)
usted es (you are)
Imperfect Tense:
Yo era
tú eras
él era
ella era
(I used to be, was)
(you used to be, were)
(he was)
(she used to be, were)
usted era (you used to be, were)
Uses for Ser:
nosotros éramos (we used to be, were)
ellos eran
(they used to be, were)
ellas eran
ustedes eran
(they used to be, were)
(you used to be, were)
The most important factor that should be understood about ser is that it embodies the aspect o
Each particular use for ser is explained below:
a.
To express a person, place, or thing’s
physical trait, personality, nationality, p
Physical traits of people and objects:
Jorge es alto.
(Jorge is tall.)
Doris era flaca. (Doris was skinny.)
La madre de Juan es bonita.
(Juanita’s mother is pretty.)
La catedral es grande y vieja.
Lima es una ciudad Peruana.
La manzana es roja.
(The cathedral is big and old.)
(Lima is a
Peruvian city.)
(The apple is red.)
Don Julio ya no es joven.
Es anciano.
(Mr. Julio is no longer young.
He is a senior citizen.)
Nationality/Citizenship:
Yo soy Colombiana.
(I am Colombian.)
Tomasina era Dominicana.
Él es hispano.
(Tomasina was Dominican/was a Dominican citizen.)
(He is latino.)
Personality traits:
Juan y Carla son inteligentes.
(Juan and Carla are intelligent.)
Los muchachos eran tímidos. (The boys were timid.)
Mariana era humilde.
Tú eres honesta.
(Mariana was humble.)
(You are honest.)
Professions:
Tulia es una doctora famosa.
Mi abuelo era alcalde.
(My grandfather was mayor.)
Ellos son profesores.
Somos choferes.
(Tulia is a famous doctor.)
(They are professors.)
(We are drivers.)
Éramos choferes, pero ahora somos gerentes.
(We were drivers, but now we are managers.)
b.
Ser is also used to express possession or the origin of an item.
With this particu
For example:
Este reloj es de Inglaterra.
El cuaderno es de Raquel.
(This watch is from England.)
(The notebook is Raquel’s.)
La computadora de Roberto es de Alemania.
c.
Ser is always used to express the time.
¿Qué hora es?
For example:
(What time is it?)
Son las siete y cuarto.
d.
(Roberto’s computer is from Germany.)
(It is seven fifteen.)
Ser is also used for common impersonal expressions in Spanish related to time.
For example:
Es tarde.
(It is late.)
Es temprano.
(It is early.)
Es de noche.
(It is night.)
Estar (to be)
In Spanish, the verb estar is used to express what is more temporary, and changeable compared
Let’s review the conjugations for estar in the present and imperfect tenses:
Present Tense:
Yo estoy (I am)
tú estás (you are)
él está (he is)
ella está (she is)
nosotros estámos (we are)
ellos están (they are)
ellas están (they are)
ustedes están (they are)
usted está (you are)
Imperfect Tense:
Yo estaba
tú estabas
él estaba
ella estaba
(I used to be, was)
(you used to be, were)
(he was)
(she used to be, were)
usted estaba (you used to be, were)
Uses for Estar:
nosotros estábamos (we used to be, wer
ellos estaban
(they used to be, were)
ellas estaban
ustedes estaban
(they used to b
(you used to be, wer
Compared to the permanence expressed in ser, estar is used to express situations, aspects, and
Each particular use for estar is explained below:
a.
To express feelings or emotions for a particular moment.
Juan Carlos está feliz hoy.
(Juan Carlos is happy today.)
Yo estoy satisfecha con mi trabajo.
(I am satisfied with my job.)
Marta estaba triste cuando hablé con ella.
(Marta was sad when I spoke with her.)
*It should be noted that in the above examples, the use of estar stresses the temporal nature
For example, the above example could change from:
Juan Carlos está feliz hoy.
(Juan Carlos is happy today.)
to:
Juan Carlos es una persona feliz.
b.
(Juan Carlos is a happy person.)
To express a temporary or accidental aspect of a person, place, or thing that can c
This includes one’s state of health.
El café está frio.
(The coffee is cold.)
Marcos está en el parque.
(Marcos is in the park.)
Mi cuaderno está en la escuela.
Milagros está enferma.
¿Cómo está usted?
(My notebook is at school.)
(Milagros is sick.)
(How are you?)
c.
To express location.
¿Dónde está el museo?
(Where is the museum?)
El museo está en la Calle Federal.
¿Dónde está el banco?
(The museum is on Federal Street.)
(Where is the bank?)
El banco está lejos de aquí. (The bank is far from here.)
Now that we have examined the different uses for ser and estar, let’s try a few exercises.
Translate the following into Spanish.
1.
Pablo is intelligent.
2.
The water is hot.
3.
Where are the children?
4.
We were good students.
5.
It is twelve noon.
6.
We are very happy today.
7.
They are Mexican.
8.
They are in Mexico.
9.
She is in the hospital.
10.
The hospital is in San Diego.
The answers follow the exercise.
1.
Pablo es inteligente.
2.
El agua está caliente.
3.
¿Dónde están los niños?
4.
Éramos estudiantes buenos.
5.
Son las doce del medio día.
6.
Estamos contentos hoy.
7.
Ellos son Mexicanos.
8.
Ellos están en México.
9.
10.
Ella está en el hospital.
El hospital está en San Diego.
This is a demo version of txt2pdf v.10.1
Developed by SANFACE Software http://www.sanface.com/
Available at http://www.sanface.com/txt2pdf.html
Spanish Grammar Lesson and the Verbs "Ser" and "Estar"
Word Count:
1096
Summary:
If you want to know how to speak Spanish it is
important that you understand this topicof Spa
Keywords:
Learning Spanish Like Crazy
Article Body:
The Uses of Ser and Estar
If you want to know how to speak Spanish it is
Ser
important that you understand this topicof Spa
(to be)
Before we explain the different uses for ser, let’s review the conjugations for ser in the pre
Present Tense:
Yo soy (I am)
nosotros somos (we are)
tú eres (you are)
ellos son (they are)
él es (he is)
ellas son (they are)
ella es (she is)
ustedes son (they are)
usted es (you are)
Imperfect Tense:
Yo era
tú eras
él era
ella era
(I used to be, was)
(you used to be, were)
(he was)
(she used to be, were)
usted era (you used to be, were)
Uses for Ser:
nosotros éramos (we used to be, were)
ellos eran
(they used to be, were)
ellas eran
ustedes eran
(they used to be, were)
(you used to be, were)
The most important factor that should be understood about ser is that it embodies the aspect o
Each particular use for ser is explained below:
a.
To express a person, place, or thing’s
physical trait, personality, nationality, p
Physical traits of people and objects:
Jorge es alto.
(Jorge is tall.)
Doris era flaca. (Doris was skinny.)
La madre de Juan es bonita.
(Juanita’s mother is pretty.)
La catedral es grande y vieja.
Lima es una ciudad Peruana.
La manzana es roja.
(The cathedral is big and old.)
(Lima is a
Peruvian city.)
(The apple is red.)
Don Julio ya no es joven.
Es anciano.
(Mr. Julio is no longer young.
He is a senior citizen.)
Nationality/Citizenship:
Yo soy Colombiana.
(I am Colombian.)
Tomasina era Dominicana.
Él es hispano.
(Tomasina was Dominican/was a Dominican citizen.)
(He is latino.)
Personality traits:
Juan y Carla son inteligentes.
(Juan and Carla are intelligent.)
Los muchachos eran tímidos. (The boys were timid.)
Mariana era humilde.
Tú eres honesta.
(Mariana was humble.)
(You are honest.)
Professions:
Tulia es una doctora famosa.
Mi abuelo era alcalde.
(My grandfather was mayor.)
Ellos son profesores.
Somos choferes.
(Tulia is a famous doctor.)
(They are professors.)
(We are drivers.)
Éramos choferes, pero ahora somos gerentes.
(We were drivers, but now we are managers.)
b.
Ser is also used to express possession or the origin of an item.
With this particu
For example:
Este reloj es de Inglaterra.
El cuaderno es de Raquel.
(This watch is from England.)
(The notebook is Raquel’s.)
La computadora de Roberto es de Alemania.
c.
Ser is always used to express the time.
¿Qué hora es?
For example:
(What time is it?)
Son las siete y cuarto.
d.
(Roberto’s computer is from Germany.)
(It is seven fifteen.)
Ser is also used for common impersonal expressions in Spanish related to time.
For example:
Es tarde.
(It is late.)
Es temprano.
(It is early.)
Es de noche.
(It is night.)
Estar (to be)
In Spanish, the verb estar is used to express what is more temporary, and changeable compared
Let’s review the conjugations for estar in the present and imperfect tenses:
Present Tense:
Yo estoy (I am)
tú estás (you are)
él está (he is)
ella está (she is)
nosotros estámos (we are)
ellos están (they are)
ellas están (they are)
ustedes están (they are)
usted está (you are)
Imperfect Tense:
Yo estaba
tú estabas
él estaba
ella estaba
(I used to be, was)
(you used to be, were)
(he was)
(she used to be, were)
usted estaba (you used to be, were)
Uses for Estar:
nosotros estábamos (we used to be, wer
ellos estaban
(they used to be, were)
ellas estaban
ustedes estaban
(they used to b
(you used to be, wer
Compared to the permanence expressed in ser, estar is used to express situations, aspects, and
Each particular use for estar is explained below:
a.
To express feelings or emotions for a particular moment.
Juan Carlos está feliz hoy.
(Juan Carlos is happy today.)
Yo estoy satisfecha con mi trabajo.
(I am satisfied with my job.)
Marta estaba triste cuando hablé con ella.
(Marta was sad when I spoke with her.)
*It should be noted that in the above examples, the use of estar stresses the temporal nature
For example, the above example could change from:
Juan Carlos está feliz hoy.
(Juan Carlos is happy today.)
to:
Juan Carlos es una persona feliz.
b.
(Juan Carlos is a happy person.)
To express a temporary or accidental aspect of a person, place, or thing that can c
This includes one’s state of health.
El café está frio.
(The coffee is cold.)
Marcos está en el parque.
(Marcos is in the park.)
Mi cuaderno está en la escuela.
Milagros está enferma.
¿Cómo está usted?
(My notebook is at school.)
(Milagros is sick.)
(How are you?)
c.
To express location.
¿Dónde está el museo?
(Where is the museum?)
El museo está en la Calle Federal.
¿Dónde está el banco?
(The museum is on Federal Street.)
(Where is the bank?)
El banco está lejos de aquí. (The bank is far from here.)
Now that we have examined the different uses for ser and estar, let’s try a few exercises.
Translate the following into Spanish.
1.
Pablo is intelligent.
2.
The water is hot.
3.
Where are the children?
4.
We were good students.
5.
It is twelve noon.
6.
We are very happy today.
7.
They are Mexican.
8.
They are in Mexico.
9.
She is in the hospital.
10.
The hospital is in San Diego.
The answers follow the exercise.
1.
Pablo es inteligente.
2.
El agua está caliente.
3.
¿Dónde están los niños?
4.
Éramos estudiantes buenos.
5.
Son las doce del medio día.
6.
Estamos contentos hoy.
7.
Ellos son Mexicanos.
8.
Ellos están en México.
9.
10.
Ella está en el hospital.
El hospital está en San Diego.
This is a demo version of txt2pdf v.10.1
Developed by SANFACE Software http://www.sanface.com/
Available at http://www.sanface.com/txt2pdf.html